The Leaf Symphony
by Kawaakari
Summary: AU spy fic! Naruto is training to be a spy, but what if it all became too much for him and he left? Nine years later he is living in the Mist Country with no memories of his past. What does he want to forget? What will happen when his old team finds him?
1. The Leaf Symphony

Disclaimers: I don't own Naruto. If I did, you guys would know. There'd be soo many yaoi scenes. Also, I stole the idea for this story and the title from a book called _The Red Orchestra_. Well, borrowed, loosely. _The Red Orchestra_ is a true story, this isn't. See?

:The Leaf Symphony:

By: Kawaakari

Seventeen-year-old Naoko Uzumi tapped a fingernail against the surface of the glossy new identification card in front of him, eyeing it critically. He flipped a few long golden strands out of his face.

"Not too bad. The picture is off-center a hair. You've definitely improved."

The young man nodded enthusiastically, taking his card back and clutching it to his chest as if it were his lifeline.

"Next." Naoko called, slouching back to sit on the table. A brown-haired girl stepped up and held out an identification card with trembling hands, hardly believing her luck at being so close to her handsome young teacher. Her brown eyes flicked over his shaggy golden blond hair and across his smooth tanned skin, her eyes settling on the faint impression of his lips under the lower-face mask he wore. She didn't realize she'd been staring until those kissable lips turned up in a half smile.

She wrenched her eyes up and Naoko gave a full grin as she blushed. "Nice work. You have a keen eye, Mina-chan."

Mina blushed more, if possible. "T-thank you, Uzumi-sensei." He nodded and handed her the card.

Naoko clapped his hands and stood. "All right, you little brats. You all passed the test. Congrats! Remember that exams are coming up in two weeks, so be sure to study."

The class of fifteen or so young teens groaned. One boy in the back called out. "Ne, sensei, you're not that much older than us! That makes you a brat, too!"

"Yeah, but I'm the teacher. So I guess that makes you the brat, brat." Naoko smirked as he lifted up the stack of ungraded papers from his desk.

"No, you still look like a brat to me." Chimed in a harsh growling voice. Naoko looked up. Zabuza Momochi stood silhouetted in the doorway, one hand bracing himself against the doorframe. Naoko gave Zabuza a dirty look as his students began laughing.

"Aw, is it Grandparent's Day again?" Naoko shot back. His students began snickering again and Naoko turned the dreaded "teacher's eye" upon them. "Chapter fifteen. Go." He turned back to Zabuza. "What'd ya need, old man?"

"Just thought I'd drop by with some happy news. You're proctoring for the upcoming exam. Joys upon joys, huh? Haku got stuck with proctor duty, too." Naoko shot the bandage-masked man a silent question with a comically long-suffering, woebegone face. "I avoided duty with my dashing good looks and roguish charm."

"More like you threatened the administrators." Naoko muttered, shuffling the papers. His class was torn between watching the banter between the two teachers and reading the next chapter in their textbooks. Without looking away from Zabuza, Naoko threatened them. "You three in the middle might want to read that chapter. We're having a test on it tomorrow. Oh, wait." The bell had begun to ring. "It's homework then. See you tomorrow, brats."

Zabuza moved from the doorway to allow Naoko's grumbling students out. When the last student left, Zabuza made his way over to lean against a desk near Naoko's. "Haku wanted to have you over for dinner tonight. He's worried you aren't eating enough. I have to agree with him. You're starting to look positively corpse-like."

"Sheesh. You really have no subtlety do you?" The two men turned to see a highly effeminate, gorgeous man striding toward them.

"All the finesse of a dying hippo." Naoko agreed. "Hello, Haku."

"Hello. Don't try to dodge the subject, Naoki. Have you been eating right lately?" Haku walked up to Naoko and placed on slim pale hand on his forehead. Naoko shrugged it off.

"Geez, Mom. I'm fine. I've just been working out more." He flexed his arm. "See? Bulging muscles."

Zabuza snorted and Haku joined him on the desk, leaning his head against the taller man's shoulder. "I hear tell we're proctoring the next exam together." Naoko nodded, settling himself back onto his desk, papers forgotten. "Did you hear that this one is inter-scholastic? At least three other major academies are bringing their best and brightest down to our neck of the woods."

Zabuza smiled, toying with Haku's long chocolate brown locks. "Maybe you'll find someone your own age, so you can get over your silly crush on me."

"And maybe you'll choke and die." Naoko snarled back. "A crush on you? In your dreams. Now Haku, he's another story." The blond smirked as Zabuza's arms closed around Haku with definite flashing "Out of Bounds" signs. "Just kidding, just kidding." His smirk faded as he thought about Zabuza's words. "The incoming examinees would be about my age, wouldn't they? Maybe I'll see someone I knew from - from before." The couple on the desk worriedly watched the blond's perspective turn inward for a moment, then he was smiling again as if nothing had happened. "What are we having for dinner tonight?"

Haku laughed. "Tacos and the ramen of your choosing."

Naoko whooped. "Blessed ramen! Haku, I love you!" He lunged from his desk to give Haku a quick hug. "I've got to get these papers graded. I'll see you guys around five! Yes! Ramen!" The teen pumped his fist in the air, snatched his papers and messenger bag from the desktop, then dashed out the door.

"He's so predictable." Zabuza commented to no one in particular. Haku snuggled back into his chest with an affirmative sound.

"Do you think he'll find someone he knew from before?" Haku asked softly after a moment. Before being when Naoko had shown up on their doorstep half-naked, bloody, and shivering with no memories of how he came to be in that state.

"Maybe, maybe not." Zabuza replied, nuzzling the top of his lover's head.

Maybe. Maybe not.

AN: Okay, guys. Naoko Uzumi is Naruto Uzumaki, for those who haven't figured it out yet. I'm just calling him Naoko to avoid confusion on my part. I swear the story will pick up later. Sorry for the sheer OOCness of it all, but hey, this is my creation.


	2. Two Days Before the Exam

Disclaimer: Okay, I still don't own it. I'm working on it, but it's kinda hard to buy rights to a show when you don't have a job.

Title: The Leaf Symphony

By: Kawaakari

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:Two Days Before the Exams:

The pink-haired girl fumed and the raven-haired boy watched a flock of geese vee across the sky. "Kakashi-sensei is late again! We were supposed to meet up two hours ago!"

The dark-haired boy shrugged. "He probably overslept again, Sakura-chan." Sakura harrumphed and plopped down on the log next to Sasuke.

"That's harsh, Sasuke-kun." The students turned to stare at the gangly silver-haired man walking up the path. He fixed a hurt look on them. "I didn't oversleep. I just got lost in the shuffle."

Sakura opened her mouth incredulously but Kakashi interrupted her. "Those big exams are coming up, and you two want to move on to the next level, yes? So, we've got to get a move on. Chop chop, brats."

Sasuke slid off the log and Sakura followed obediently. "Sensei, could you tell us about the exams?"

Kakashi tucked his hands into his pockets as he led them down the beaten dirt path. "All of you students will be put in a situation where all your primary and secondary training skills are tested. I think the test is based heavily on your infiltration skills and how long you can escape detection." The tall man tapped his masked lips. "This year, the proctors will be mixed in with the examinees, so don't let your guard down, okay? The Mist Academy is notorious for its insanely difficult exams." His students nodded thoughtfully as they arrived at the crowded clearing.

The scarecrow-like teacher wandered off to talk with the other instructors, leaving his students to mingle. "Ne, Sasuke, do you think we'll find him?" Sakura asked quietly.

For a moment, Sasuke didn't answer. "I don't know." He replied just as quietly. Naruto Uzumaki, the third man of their cell, had disappeared in the middle of the night almost nine years before. No one had seen or heard from him since, although not many had cared. Truthfully, most had celebrated the boy's disappearance, something his teammates couldn't understand.

Sakura chewed her lip indecisively. Part of her wanted to let go of the boy's memory. He had been nothing more than an annoyance when they had been together. Always jumping around, bugging her and Sasuke-kun, and playing his immature little pranks. The other part of her, the mature part that had recently developed, forced her to look back on the whole affair and realize that Naruto had been there for them through thick and thin, always trying to cheer them up even though his attempts were met with hate and scorn.

_"Ne, Sakura-chan! Cheer up! Sasuke's just a cold bastard. Forget about him. I'll love you forever!" Crowed a diminutive boy of about eight with hair of spun gold. His features had blurred somewhat over time, leaving a vague idea of striking sapphire blue eyes in a small tanned face._

_"Leave me alone! You're so annoying!" Sakura, also eight, shouted back. She planted her tiny fists on her hips, pink hair swinging around her shoulder blades. "Sasuke-kun is so much cooler than you! And smarter! You're nothing but a dead last loser!"_

Seventeen-year old Sakura cringed as her remembered insults echoed through her mind. _"Idiot! Loser! Dead last! Freak! I hate you!"_ The mature part of her had shown her what her younger self had missed: Naruto's bright blue eye's dimming, his head ducking submissively as if awaiting some sort of physical blow, his smile fading a little before a large fake grin had been pasted in its place.

Her mind picked out hundreds of little incidents in which either she, Sasuke, or even Kakashi-sensei had shunted Naruto off to the side or attacked him verbally. _'It's amazing that he stayed with us for as long as he did.'_ Sakura thought, guilt once again clawing through her.

"Oi, Forehead Girl!" Came a familiar call. For the moment, all thoughts of Naruto were swept to the backburner.

"Ino-pig." Sakura growled, feigning a saccharine-sweet smile. The pretty girl with the swishing blond ponytail sauntered up to the pink-haired girl. "Come to drool over Sasuke-kun again?"

"Nah, I've got Shikamaru. I just came to return your wallet. Sorry, but the money seems to have misplaced itself." The blond girl smirked and tossed the slim red wallet to the other girl.

Sakura smiled back predatorialy. "That's okay. Here are your credit cards. I think the one in the middle didn't max itself out." She tossed the plastic rectangles back to the furious blond. The two girls bristled and glared lightning bolts at each other, the area around them clearing out as nearby students sensed the murderous aura between them.

A large hand planted itself on Sakura's forehead, forcing her head to crane back. She stared up into Kakashi's face. "Sakura-chan, we're leaving now. Say good-bye to your friend."

"Good bye, Ino-pig." Sakura said obediently, saccharine-sweetness back. Ino huffed and muttered a farewell before determinedly trekking off to find her boyfriend.

Sakura looked at Kakashi-sensei. His face was buried in a book, _Icha Icha Paradise_ or something. "Is that one of your dirty porn books?"

Kakashi barely looked at her. "It's art." He turned on his heel and navigated his way through the clumps of teenagers surprisingly well for someone with his head buried in a book. The pink-haired girl trailed behind.

Sakura nodded to herself. _'Yep. Porn book.'_ She spotted Sasuke leaning against a tree by himself and waved for him to follow. They were finally ready to move up.

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AN: Okay, another short, choppy chapter. Sorry. /sigh/ Thanks to my first three reviewers! You are all my favorite!

She.Who.Knows- I am one of the people who do better with reviews. I thought my grammar was sort of iffy.. I'm so happy you'd be willing to turn to a life of crime for my story/teary eyes/

Failing Mentality-It's okay to expect more than I can give. It pressures me to write and doesn't let me lose interest in a story. Hopefully this update makes ye happy.

silver windflame- Indeed. :)


	3. The Village of the Mist

Disclaimer: Oh, you know. I don't own this. I'm also not getting any profit from it.

Warnings: Bad plot ahead, beware.

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:The Village of the Mist:

Mist shrouded the trees and clung to the travelers, swirling about their legs. They had yet to reach the village walls. Despite it being high noon, only pale watery light could force itself through the cloud-cover, falling on them but providing no heat.

Sasuke sneezed once, then twice. The Village of the Mist was neither the warmest place nor the driest place he'd ever visited. Sakura seemed to be feeling the pervading chill of the place also. Kakashi-sensei seemed to be the only one unaffected.

The walls, so much like Konoha's walls, came into view, seemingly rising out of the mist. Before long, the travelers were at the gate. A guard stood at attention next to the wide doorway. Through it, they could see milling people and houses and shops.

"Business in the Mist?" The guard asked gruffly.

"Exams tomorrow. We're from Konoha. Kakashi Hatake, instructor; Sasuke Uchiha, second level; Sakura Haruno, also second level." Kakashi produced three sheets of paper from the pouch on his thigh. The guard examined them for a moment, then handed them back with a distracted "good luck" as he lost interest in the newcomers.

"Sensei," Sakura began once they were out of the guard's hearing range," how does he know we didn't just falsify those documents?"

Before Kakashi could explain, Sasuke answered. "Those guards are trained to spot false documents from a mile away. Even the highest grade of professional forger couldn't fool them."

Kakashi smiled, a mere crinkling of his one visible eye above the mask. "Exactly, Sasuke-kun." The man checked his watch. "We're supposed to be meeting the others at the Mist Academy."

The Mist Academy was a semi-secluded structure resting slightly off from the town center. Primary students pressed themselves against windows to watch the older strangers. Bolder primary students actually stood in small clumps close to the academy entrance. The secondary students stood close to their instructors with their cells while others mingled with friends. They seemed to be waiting for something.

"What's this? Kakashi? On time?" One instructor called out. He clutched his chest in mock-shock. "This must be a sign of the apocalypse."

"What are we waiting for?" One secondary student asked loudly.

"So impatient!" Another laughed. "If we could get your attention up here, please?" The nearest talkers quieted, but the less mature students on the fringe of the crowd kept on chattering. "Excuse me!" Shouted the student again, his orange hair bristling in agitation. "Your attention over here!" His shouts were duly noted and duly ignored.

A taller student walked up behind him, resting an arm on the smaller boy's shoulder. "Oi, cretins! Shut your faces." His deep baritone voice carrying across the crowd. Silence spread like ripples in a pond. All faces turned to the two boys in the middle.

"Thanks." The orange-haired boy smiled at his savior.

"Tatsuki, what're you doing?" Called a girl, apparently from the boy's cell. Similar cries rang out as other cell members joined the two in front of the crowd.

Eight secondary students of various sizes and genders stood facing the crowd. Another cry, this one of surprise arose when the same eight stumbled out of the trees to stand bewildered before exact images of themselves. The first orange-haired boy to speak up smiled and spoke again. "Congratulations on making it this far in your training. We'd like to officially welcome you to the Mist Academy." By ones and twos, the eight quickly passed an arm over their face and down their bodies. Their disguises seemed to melt away like spun sugar in the rain before the stunned eyes of the secondary students.

"Like I said, welcome to the Academy! We're your proctors for the exam. We're from the Mist Country." The one who spoke, formerly the orange-haired Tatsuki, was now a gorgeous young man with long chocolate brown hair. The taller boy that had helped him get everyone's attention was now a tall, slim, golden-haired young man who greeted everyone with a wave. His lower face was masked much like Kakashi's and his blue eyes bounced from person to person, his hands never resting.

"The Sand Country." Announced a blond woman, whose hair was divided into four ponytails. The man stand beside her in the kabuki makeup nodded briefly.

"Sound Country." Continued a silver-haired man with round glasses, nudging up the frames with his middle finger, lips quirked in a pleasant half smile. His companion just stared at the crowd.

"The Fire Country!" Chirped a shorthaired woman in a jacket, fishnet shirt and shorts, smiling at the students like a shark. Her companion also stared at the secondary students, the scars crossing his face making his unblinking stare even more foreboding.

There was a moment of silence in which the brown-haired man tapped the bridge of his nose before laughing. "Well, I guess there's really nothing much else to say, is there?"

The other Mist Country proctor flipped his long hair out of his eyes. "What my friend here is forgetting to say is you have the rest of the day to yourselves. There are already lodgings set up for you; the instructors just have to pick up the information from Mr. Gateau. Be sure to get enough sleep tonight, because you are expected to be here at seven a.m. sharp. Any later than that and you can consider yourself failed. Other than that, enjoy your stay here." He gave a sarcastic salute and turned on his heel, gliding back to the building with his friend next to him.

He stopped by the entrance to point at a group of primary students. "If you get back to the room before I do, I won't give you detention for the rest of your natural existences." His companion laughed and the secondary students stared. The primary students all but trampled each other in a frantic rush to get back inside the building.

Sakura winced inwardly. _'Poor kids.'_

Sasuke tilted his head. "Hn. He seemed kind of familiar."

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An: ... I have low self-esteem when it comes to this fic. I don't think the scene with the proctors revealing themselves turned out quite how I wanted it to. Oh well. C'est la vie.

And a giant thank you to everyone who reviewed. You guys make me want to keep this thing alive.


	4. Exam Day

Disclaimer: See previous chapters.

Warnings: Even worse writing. Watch out!

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:Exam Day:

The next morning at seven a.m., the thirty secondary students had gathered at the assigned place, minus their instructors. It was an old store in the market district. Barely any shops were open, as it was the beginning of the week. The blond man from the day before strode up to them.

"All right, brats. Are we awake?" Grumbles and an excited "yosh!" from a boy with a hideous bowl cut hairdo met his greeting. "Right-o. Your mission objective is to gather information on a man named Samuel Blu and find him. Choose your sources wisely, because some will lie to you and some will report you to a proctor. Escape detection at all costs. Work within your cells. Information can be liberated from other cells. Discretion is the word here. You have till 12 noon. The exam begins now!" He melted back into the shadows.

As if on cue, the sound of a bustling market began outside. Within seconds, the room was empty of everyone but Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke leaned toward Sakura and spoke softly to her. "Split up, do some recon, meet in the alley behind here in three hours. See what the other cells are up to, find out who's good to talk to. Synchronize watches on my mark." They lifted their wrists. "Three. Two. One. Mark. Three hours." He reminded her as they quickly altered their appearances and left the building separately.

Across the street, an attractive black-haired geisha smiled flirtingly at the brown-haired youth leaving the building with his under-developed brunette girlfriend. The girlfriend blushed and made her way over to the geisha, the boy going his own way. Maybe they weren't together in that way. The geisha gestured gracefully to the unoccupied seat across from her and the girl took it. Nervously, the young girl pushed her hair behind one ear.

"What can I do for you, little one?" The geisha asked in a dulcet voice. The girl blushed harder and looked at the older woman through a veil of hair.

"You know all about men, right? Can you help me get the man I like to like me back?" The geisha nodded, one finely shaped eyebrow raised. "He won't even consider me unless I find someone for him."

"Who?" The geisha asked, resting her chin delicately on one slender palm. Her gray eyes holding the girl's black.

"His brother. Samuel." Tears filled the girl's dark eyes. "Micheal is so hung up on finding his brother. I don't think he even knows I exist. If I find Samuel for him, he'll notice me for sure." Determination shone in the girl's teary eyes.

The geisha nodded, lifting her head. "What's your name, young lady?"

"Rin Takeshi." The brunette said, ducking her head somewhat.

"All right, Rin-chan. I know this Samuel. Samuel Blu used to come around here all the time. It was before my time, although old Raika should know. She's the old women who lives above the flower shop. She only comes down for a few minutes at a time because she's so old, so hurry and run." Rin nodded her head in thanks enthusiastically and pushed out of her chair. "Luck, Rin-chan." The geisha called after her. The girl waved and smiled as she trotted toward the flower shop.

The brunette turned a corner and the happy-go-lucky smile dropped. Sasuke inwardly sighed in disgust at his girly appearance. He hated dressing as the girl, but it threw people off. They never expect the cute woman to be a man in drag. If Naruto could see him now, he'd laugh himself to death.

Sakura was having similar thoughts on the other side of the marketplace. _'I'll never live this down if Ino-pig sees me like this.'_ It didn't matter how much she detested it; it worked. People never expected the man to be a cute woman in disguise.

The pink-haired girl's sharp eyes spotted another source discretely wave down a proctor. Not two seconds later, a boy Sakura remembered seeing earlier was quietly led away, as well as his teammates. It looked like he hadn't even tried to disguise himself. Her watch gave a quiet warning blip. Five minutes till she was due to meet Sasuke in the alley behind the restaurant. Filing away the information she had gathered, Sakura drifted casually through the crowd and into the alley. Sasuke waited for her as a brunette girl.

"I found your brother." He said, tugging nervously at his hair. Sakura realized he was still in character in case the walls had eyes and ears.

"You found Samuel? Where is he? Take me to him." She said brusquely, aware of how close their act was to her and Sasuke's true relationship.

"This way. Follow me." Sasuke gripped her hand in his and pulled her along.

The house was old and falling apart. "So.. what do we do?" Sakura whispered. They were crouched down in the attic of the house across the street.

Sasuke shrugged. "Let's just go up and knock. Keep in character. You're looking for your brother, if it's not Samuel Blu, we just pretend we got the wrong house. Let's go." In a flash they were outside walking around the block holding hands like young lovers. It was less than twenty minutes till noon and the street was deserted.

They knocked on the door of the old house gingerly, not trusting it to hold up under any sort of force. Surprisingly the door was solid and the knocks echoed hollowly through the house. A second later slow, heavy footsteps were heard and the door opened. A bleary-eyed old man peaked through the crack at them, squinting in the daylight. Discretely, Sakura checked her watch. Less than ten minutes.

The old man yawned and studied them suspiciously. "Who're you?"

"We're looking for Samuel." Sakura said, remembering to keep her voice low like a boys.

The old man scowled. "Who sent you? There's no Samuel here. Why do you people keep bothering an old man?"

Sasuke piped up, his voice high and hesitant as a young girl's. "Miss Raika sent us, sir. We really need to talk to Samuel, and we're really sorry to bother you."

The old man's scowl dropped somewhat and his rheumy old eyes took on a considering light. "Raika, eh? Come on in." He shuffled back enough to let them pass, then took a searching look outside and slammed the door. "In there." He gestured to the half-open door at the end of the hall. Sasuke and Sakura bowed and headed to the door. They paused a short way away, making sure the old man was gone, then rid themselves of their disguises.

Sakura pushed the door all the way open tentatively. The room before them was an office. Behind the desk sat the chocolate-haired man from that morning. Perched on the corner was his blond friend. Around the office loitered the other six proctors. "Well," began the blond man," took you long enough. You've got four minutes. Where's Samuel Blu?"

Sakura opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She realized she had no idea which one was Samuel Blu. She'd though all they would have to do was show up at this place to pass.

Sasuke appeared deep in thought. "Samuel Blu is..." he trailed off and turned to survery everyone in the room. "Not here. None of you are Samuel Blu. He's dead."

The silver-haired Sound proctor clapped. "Bravo. As expected of Sasuke Uchiha, Konoha's number one secondary level."

"You pass." The blond at the desk said, cocking his head in a very Kakashi-like manner, his eyes crinkling in a hidden smile.

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AN: Sorry. This is a late night fic, so some parts are sketchy and... stupid. I really couldn't think of a proper final, so I started typing aimlessly and this is what came out. Time flow is off, I know, and I apologize again for that. But I couldn't resist putting Sasuke in drag. Guess who the geisha was?

AN2: If anyone would like to offer their services as a BETA, I'd be more than happy to accept. Hint hint.


	5. Breaking Point

Disclaimer: See previous chapters.

Warnings: Bad writing/holey plot part two. Bear with me, it'll get better.

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:The Breaking Point:

Sakura walked beside Sasuke in a daze. "How did you know Samuel Blu was dead?" Both were out of their disguises and walking back toward the Mist Academy.

Sasuke shrugged. "Subtle hints were dropped. An older, experienced geisha said Samuel Blu had been before her time. An elderly woman reminiscing about partying the night away with the much older, dashing Samuel, even though other sources said the woman hadn't been able to be out an about for more than a few minutes at a time in years."

Sakura's mouth formed an "o." Her green eyes scanned the road habitually. She spotted two figures. "Isn't that the blond Mist proctor? And one of the Sound proctors?"

Indeed it was. The two were walking together, the blond's hands in his pockets. The two teens were close enough to see the sly smile on the Sound proctor's face as he leaned toward the lazily strolling blond. They could see his mouth move, but couldn't make out the few words the man said. They could, however, see the effect the words had on the other.

His normally gliding steps faltered, he swayed, then shook his head sharply as if to clear it. The smile on the silver-haired Sound spy's face sent shivers up and down Sakura's spine. The Sound man said something else and the blond's step smoothed out, his shoulders straightened.

He turned his face to the silver-haired man's and his eyes crinkled. The other man pulled back, his face still pleasant. Yet at the barely leashed violence burning in the man's eyes, visible even from a distance, Sakura couldn't help but gasp. The blond faced forward again, walking as if nothing had happened.

"Something about that Mist guy pisses me off." Sasuke muttered thoughtfully. Sakura eyed him incredulously. Sasuke? Pissed? At some guy he'd never even spoken to? A tall man with short-cropped black hair and a bandaged lower face joined the adults. With him was the long-haired beauty from before, the other Mist proctor. Another man, the other Sound proctor, arrived, immediately leaving with the silver-haired man. That left the Mist spies walking together.

Sasuke and Sakura sped up a little so they were within hearing range of the group they followed. "Nah, I didn't see anyone that interested me. Except for Haku, of course. Oh, Haku, I had so much fun earlier. I never knew you were so wild."

The taller man growled. Haku, the long-haired man, blushed. "We were sparring and you know it. You're such a perv, Naoko-kun." The taller man took a playful swing at the masked blond, who ducked lazily. Haku snaked out one hand, catching hold of the blond's arm and pulling him into a full body hug. He let the blond go with an unhappy frown. "You're not eating enough. You're still losing weight."

Indeed the blond looked insubstantial enough to blow away at the slightest breeze. Naoko waved a hand. "No, no. Training more. Remember? Besides, I've got to keep up my girlish figure." He struck a girly pose that was made more amusing by the fact that with his long hair, Naoko looked very much like an attractive woman.

The taller man snorted. "Get a haircut, runt. You're starting to look like that pin-up girl, Ms. November." Naoko nodded, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

Haku whirled around. "And when exactly were you looking at pin-up girls, Zabuza?" Zabuza groaned and Naoko laughed, hands behind his head, back slightly arched in a stretch.

Sasuke and Sakura froze at the sight it made. The laugh, the position of his hands, the tilt of his head, the golden blond hair, it was eerily similar to Naruto. But it couldn't be. Naruto was short and noisy. This guy was tall and mean. Besides, he didn't have the whisker-like scars on his cheeks. Or did he? His lower face was covered, so they couldn't be sure.

The Academy came into sight and the two secondary level spies could see Kakashi-sensei waiting for them. He and Zabuza seemed to know each other, as they tensed up in passing, waiting coiled in case the other decided to attack. "Down, boys." Naoko commented breezily as he passed them. Haku snorted and wrapped his arms around one of Zabuza's, distracting him from his foe and leading him away.

Kakashi stared after the group until his students drew even with him. He turned to them, head tilted and eye crinkled with a smile. "Yo. Heard you passed. You're at the point where you can go into specific fields. Congratulations." His eye opened and he feigned a faraway look. "Seems like just yesterday you two were snot-nosed little eight-year olds."

"Kakashi-sensei, cut it out." Sakura blushed a little. This much praise was almost out-of-character for their instructor.

Sasuke hadn't been listening, he'd been staring after the Mist group. "Sensei, did you know that man? The tall one, Zabuza?"

Kakashi's visible eye became cold and considering. "We've met. He was an assassin back in the day. They called him the Demon of the Mist. Slaughtered an entire graduating class when he was just a primary level. That's all in the past. He's just a teacher now." His eye thawed and crinkled.

With narrowed eyes, Sasuke continued to stare consideringly after the departed group, long after they were out of sight.

Naoko yawned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Or, at least, trying to. Sleeping was becoming more elusive as the weeks rolled on and what little sleep he did get was interrupted by nightmares he forgot as soon as he awoke. Prying himself out of his warm coccoon, the blond stumbled into the bathroom.

Squinting in the sudden light, he studied himself in the mirror. _'Haku was right,'_ he thought wryly. He had lost a lot of weight. His collarbone stood out starkly and he could count his ribs if he twisted just so. His already baggy orange pajama bottoms hung off his slim hips. Turning sideways, he perused his profile. The only thing holding his pajamas up seemed to be his hipbones at this point. "Right-o. Time to go clothing shopping. Without Haku." Haku would just be worried if he saw what Naoko's clothing hid.

Facing the mirror again, Naoko looked at his overall appearance. He looked like a panda, with the dark rings under his eyes. Or a corpse, when the dark rings were coupled with his gauntness. He ran a hand over his cheek, feeling the three parallel scars crossing the smooth skin. His body was covered with more scars than he cared to think about and there were only a few he could truly say he knew the origins of.

He ran his hand over one that curved up his ribs, leading to a star-shaped scar roughly the size of a fist near his heart. It was like a comet flying across his chest, if he was in a fanciful mood. There were other less interesting scars, such as kunai scars, claw marks, some torture scars - when had he been tortured? He trailed another long wicked scar down his hip, fingers brushing the edge of his tattoo. Ah, the tattoo. A spiral caged in by five seals on his navel. The black ink stood out against his tanned stomach. He pressed a hand to it, looking at the mirror but not seeing it. Then the moment was over and he was getting ready to face the day.

Naoko pulled his mask on, making sure he was presentable and nothing was hanging out. Never could be too careful when operating on very little sleep. He didn't look so much like a skeleton wearing his mask and padded vest, even if he did have to tie his pants on so they didn't fall down around his ankles.

Having made sure he was all put together one last time, he turned to go. As he did, he glanced at the mirror. He didn't see himself reflected there, he saw a silver-haired man in a mask much like his staring back at him with one eye. The other was covered by a black bandana bearing a metal plate inscribed with the symbol of Konoha, the Leaf Village.

One moment he was in mid-turn staring at the mirror, the next he was falling back into numb grayness. Ghostly images of people and places sped by, too many voices for him to single out yammered in his ear, vying for his attention. An apartment? _'It's so messy. Just like mine.'_ A man smiling, his face blurred as if he were being seen through tears. _"You pass."_ What? But the man was gone. A little boy and girl stood before him, arms crossed. _"Stupid. Dead last. Go bug someone else. Disappear."_ Why do the children's word's hurt him? Damnit, why couldn't he see their faces? But they too were gone. Suddenly he was cold, so cold. It was raining and he was soaked, curled into a doorway, hoping desperately for warmth and protection. "_I found you at last._" A pale hand reaches out to him. Suddenly he is outside watching the boy. _'Don't take it!'_ He screams at the boy, terror gripping his heart, although he couldn't say what exactly was causing the terror.

Naoko forcibly pulled his mind from the gray fog, breathing in harsh gasps as if he'd run several miles. He found himself collapsed, trembling, against the bathroom wall, knees folded under him. With a nearly hysterical laugh, Naoko pulled his mind together and wiped the cold sweat and - tears? - from his face with a dark sleeve.

Soon he became aware of pounding on his door. Pulling himself up using the sink, Naoko assembled a composed mask for his face and regulated his breathing. He could do nothing about his paleness. Shakingly, but getting steadier, he navigated the path between the piles of laundry, blankets, pillows, and other odds and ends littering his floor. He took one deep breath and whipped open the door before his guest kicked the abused wooden rectangle in.

A very worried Haku stood outside his apartment, fist raised to knock again. "Naoko! Where the hell have you been? I've been knocking for almost ten minutes. Are you all right?" Naoko stepped back and Haku entered his apartment, tsking at the mess.

"Yeah, yeah. I was just in the bathroom. I didn't hear you knocking." Naoko soothed. Haku gave him a slightly disbelieving look. The teen shrugged. "What'd you need? Actually, I was going to go shopping a little later. I think I need some variety in my wardrobe." The second the words passed his tongue, Naoko could have bitten it off. The _last_ thing he wanted was for Haku to come shopping with him and see how much weight he'd lost in such a short amount of time.

He swore inwardly as Haku nodded. "I'll go with you. Zabuza is needing some new shirts." Naoko could see the older man's eyes stray to his face with a pondering light creeping into them. _'Shit. He's starting to get back to my health. Damn circular thinkers.'_

Naoko thought quickly. "Ooh," he purred with a wicked grin. Haku's eyebrows rose, clearly not liking where the conversation seemed to be going. "Are you guys getting a little... rough? That's pretty kinky. And here I thought you were the innocent missionary-position type of boy." Haku's mouth opened and closed, and opened again before he firmly shut it.

"Exactly. I can't keep my hands off him and I've been tearing through his clothing." Haku agreed in a sarcastic monotone, throwing his hands up. "Forget it. Get your damn money, we're going shopping." Naoko hid a victorious smile behind one hand as Haku stalked out.

His smile faded as his mind replayed the scene in his bathroom just minutes before. Naoko scowled. Everything had gone pear-shaped for him, especially after that damn Sound proctor, Kabuto, had caught him alone.

_Naoko and Kabuto walked quietly together, Naoko with his hands tucked into his pockets. The blond was admiring the peaceful scenery when the older man had leaned toward him with a creepy smile._

_"You're as beautiful as ever, Naruto-kun." The man had said lecherously, as if he had intimate knowledge of Naoko's body. It wasn't his tone that threw Naoko off, it was the name: _Naruto_. It sent images flying through his mind too fast for him to grasp. Faces, voices, feelings, all running through him like a raging river, carrying him along with it. He was aware of his surroundings, that his step had faltered, that he was losing his balance, and shook his head sharply to banish the unwanted images. The other man cocked his head and smiled his twisted smile again. "What's wrong, Naruto-kun? You're looking rather pale." The last of the fog in Naoko's head was blown away as warning signals began flashing in his head at the Sound spy's proximity. He needed to be alert and on top of his game around that man. Kabuto gave him a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach, made him feel sick. "I'm sorry, you must be mistaken. I'm not Naruto. I'm Naoko. Back off unless you want to lose that pretty face of yours, all right?" He had smiled at the man and that had been that._

And then this morning, with the man in the mirror - the man - the - it had been the man Zabuza had squared off with!

_"Down, boys." Naoko said, glanced between Zabuza and the silver-haired instructor._

"Damnit!" Naoko snarled, pounding a fist into the wall, careful not to leave a hole or a dent. The landlord would have his head if there was any damage to the precious, paper-thin walls. Breathing deep, calming breaths, Naoko tried to ignore the fact that his life was coming down around his ears and just go shopping with Haku.

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AN: Oh my god, guys, I am so sorry I haven't updated. Really, truly sorry.The story gets better after this, I promise. All the great, juicy, angst-ridden parts are coming up. Well, not all. But a lot.

AN2: Okay. Sorry again. I meant to put this up before I left town, but never got around to it. Readers, you may have my head on a stick. I know the last few chapters have been somewhat sketchy. I had to beat my muse with a large stick to grind those out before my trip. So... very sorry, again, and I promise someday after this story is done, I'll go back and fix them up. This is just the first edition in all its hairy, warty glory.

PS. I can't answer all reviews in this chapter, but a huge thanks to everyone who reviewed. I love you all.

Raifel: Whatever he remembers comes and goes. Sometimes it's just a brief flash, sometimes it's a flood. It is pretty soap opera-ish. Heh. In the next chapter we meet Esteban, Naruto's evil twin! Just kidding. Thanks for reviewing. You made my day.

She.Who.Knows: Heh, don't murder Sakura just yet. She has a part in helping Naruto get his memories back.


	6. The Encounter

Disclaimer: See previous chapters.

Warnings: Swearing, what could possibly be a graphic scene if you have an over-active imagination, and bad writing. Oh yes. I've got it all.

_Leaf Symphony_

Chapter Six

:The Encounter:

Naoko stood still and let the crowd flow around him, ignoring the occasional bumps and jostles. He had somehow lost sight of Haku in the mass of people.

Suddenly the hair on the back of his neck stood up and Naoko quickly scanned the surrounding faces, searching for the cause of his alarm. He could see absolutely nothing amiss, yet -

There.

Staring at him with almost-gold, flat, snake-like eyes. Unsure why the strange man with the long black hair and pale skin made him so uneasy, Naoko resolutely turned his face away to search for Haku again.

A moment passed, then a body bumped against his, hard. He started to turn, but the offending person wrapped his arms around the teen in a vise-like grip, his back to the man's front.

Naoko stiffened. "Ah, my toy. It has been so long. I've missed you," the man sighed in a hissing whisper. Half-formed nightmare images invoked by the first three whispered words flashed behind Naoko's eyes. _"Ah, my toy." The clink and rattle of chains. The biting cold of a stone floor. A sharp coppery tang in the air._ Images - memories? nightmares? - beginning with trust and some kind of love and ending with pain and blood flitted by his mind's eye, teasing him with their elusiveness. Naoko could feel the man's hot breath on his ear.

Naoko closed his eyes, wanting to break away from his inner demons and outer captivity but not having the strength to. There was a rough growl and Naoko found himself yanked free of the snake man's embrace. He opened his eyes to look at his savior.

Zabuza stood before him, eyes blazing with killing intent at the stranger. Naoko touched the taller man's sleeve, drawing his gaze down, worry immediately replacing murder in the older spy's eyes. "You all right, kid?" He asked, his voice rougher than usual with a growl.

"Yeah, yeah. He's just some pervert." Naoko said, waving his hand dismissively with an airy smile. "Let's go, okay? I bet Haku thinks we've been kidnapped." Zabuza studied the boy's face, noting the pale pallor under his golden tan and the shadows swimming in his jewel blue eyes. _'You don't look like everything's all right, kid.'_

Nevertheless, Zabuza nodded. "I seem to remember the words 'kidnap' and 'dead in a ditch' being mentioned." Naoko smiled and tugged on his arm, pulling the giant away, but not before the man could shoot the pervert a warning look full of deadly promises over his shoulder. He didn't notice the hungry, possessive look in the man's eyes as they followed the line of Naoko's body as he slid through little spaces between pedestrians.

"Soon, my pet. Soon." The man crooned, unblinking eyes still on the laughing blond.

Ruthlessly forcing his mind out of the gray numbness it wanted to sink into, Naoko dropped Zabuza's hand. "All right, O Knowledgeable One. Where's the little shopaholic hiding?" Mutely the man pointed at a fashionable little store for teens. "Oh no. He wants me to look my age? My students will never respect me." Naoko moaned in a pitiful whine. The effect was ruined, however, by the snort of laughter that slipped past his lips.

"Cry me a river." Zabuza said sympathetically as they entered the store. Immediately their ears were assailed by some loud rock song that kids these days seemed to like. Haku waved them over from the back of the store.

"Where did you find him? The next village?" Haku scoffed. He thrust a small mountain of clothing at the unsuspecting Naoko. "Try these on." Whimpering under the cloth heap, Naoko walked into the dressing area like a man going to the gallows.

An unbearable two hours and innumerable outfits later, Naoko hefted his bag of purchases and exited the godforsaken marketplace. He parted ways with his fellow teachers a block from his apartment, as they lived on the next street. Haku promised they'd be joining him as soon as they dropped their bags off.

Happy to be alone again, Naoko almost didn't notice the two teens standing in front of him until it was almost too late. He pulled himself back sharply, stopping close enough for his full hands to be brushing the dark-haired boy's chest.

"Sorry, sorry. Didn't watch where I was going." He muttered, shifting his load to a more comfortable position. When the two in front of him didn't move, he finally turned his eyes on them. "What?" They were staring at him in a way that made him uncomfortable. That was saying something, because it took a lot to make him uncomfortable. Or it used to take a lot.

The pink-haired girl spoke first. "We're looking for our instructor. Have you seen him? About your height, silver hair, wears a mask like yours, has one eye covered? He wandered off again."

Naoko snickered. "You make him sound like a lost kitty. No, I'm sorry. I haven't seen him."

"You're that Mist proctor." The raven-haired teen finally stated.

Naoko's eyebrows rose. "Usually I go by my name, but yes." A wicked glint of humor entered his startling blue eyes. "And I believe you are Rin-chan. You make a much cuter girl, you know." Naoko winked lecherously and blew the gaping boy a kiss. A flush tinted the boy's pale cheeks.

"Bastard." He growled.

The blond smiled, twitching hair out of his face. "I go by that, too. I think I'll be off now. Ja!" He would have floated breezily past the two teens, but Sasuke's hand shot out and clamped onto the blond's arm. He turned his head to face the boy, eyes still bright and friendly, but with an ominous stillness behind them. "That's mine."

"I wasn't done. We're far from finished here." Sasuke's eyes flashed threateningly and his grip tightened on the other boy's arm. Naoko tensed then froze as the words triggered another memory.

_Pale skin and long black hair. Everything hurt, he could taste blood, smell it. '_Get away, have to get away._' His broken body slowly pulling itself away from the source of his pain. A hand cruelly wrapped around his arm, halting his escape._

_"I wasn't done with you. We are far from finished." _

_The promise of pain dancing behind those words._

Still caught in the memory, Naoko lashed out with his free arm, breaking the grip. His clothes flew into the air, but he was beyond caring. All he could see was dark hair and pale skin. Sasuke immediately aimed a kick at his opponent's face, barely noting the glazed eyes.

The threat became imminent as the other boy's foot sped toward his head. Naoko reacted, blocking it with a forearm. Sasuke took the chance to land a hard elbow in Naoko's momentarily unprotected side. The actual pain made the nightmare in his head seem more real, unlocked more of it, even. He saw the man of his nightmares looming closer above him and exploded into sheer terror driven action.

"Not again!" He cried, face twisting in terror. Sasuke faltered at the unexpected outburst from his opponent and was rewarded with three punches to his midsection in swift succession. The dark-haired boy landed a kick to the blond's jaw that would have broken another secondary level's jaw but the other man only swayed backwards. It would have gone further, but a pair of iron-hard arms wrapped around Sasuke, pinning his arms to his sides. The long-haired Mist proctor was trying to calm the blond and defend himself at the same time.

The blond broke through the other's defenses and caught the smaller man by the throat, lifting him. His face and eyes were terrifyingly blank and there was something terribly mechanical about his motions. "Naoko!" The brunette choked. The blond blinked, his face relaxing, life returning to it.

"Haku? Shit." He gently released his friend. "I'm sorry. I just - I'm sorry." His suddeny dull and tired blue eyes flickered over to the boy in Zabuza's arms. "Shit." He said again, hanging his head.

"What happened?" Zabuza asked, deadly serious. He let go of the boy in his arms.

"I don't know. I guess my control isn't as good as I thought it was." Naoko replied without meeting their eyes, his hands coming up to rub at his temples. "I didn't hurt you, did I? Either of you?" He lifted his eyes to face first Sasuke then Haku. The latter shook his head.

The former straightened his blue shirt. "No, I'm fine. It was my fault anyways. I grabbed him." He directed this toward Zabuza. His lips gave the barest twitch. "He said I was cuter as a little girl. He was acting like a perverted old man with a Lolita complex and I guess overreacted. I just thought Mist instructors were a little more - I don't know - professional. Mature."

Naoko let out a strangled cough that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. Haku snickered. "What are your names?"

"Sasuke Uchiha. Sakura Haruno." Sakura introduced, gesturing between herself and her teammate.

Haku nodded. "And how old are you, Sasuke?"

Sasuke frowned. "Eighteen. Why?"

The long-haired man bit back a smile. "You're older than him." Naoko snorted.

"Sorry to burst your bubble." He finally looked up, eyes crinkling at the open-mouthed boy. "I'm only 17. So much for the pervy old lolicon theory, eh, guys?"

"What!" Sakura cried. "But you're an instructor already! You're proctoring an exam, for God's sake!"

Naoko preened. "Yes, I'm just that good." Zabuza sidled over and whacked him on the head. "What was that for?"  
"Your ego looked like it was inflating at a rather alarming rate. I had to take drastic measures before it reached critical mass." The gigantic man answered dead-pan. Naoko scowled as Zabuza wrapped a large hand around his chin and inspected his face. "Are you trying to look like a panda? Go up to your apartment and get a full night's rest. And be on time tomorrow. I don't feel like babysitting your class of snot-nosed little pre-teens."

"At least my class has the basics down!" Retorted the blond, bristling. The brunette pushed the bag of neatly re-folded clothing into his hands and gave him a gentle push toward the building. "Fine, fine." The blond paused, the tired look back in his eyes. "I really am sorry. I'll treat you to a meal or something tomorrow afternoon. Just come to the Academy." Sasuke gave the barest of nods.

Naoko shut his door, leaned back into it, and slid down into a sitting position. Tomorrow he would tell everything to Haku, tell him about the dreams and flashbacks he'd been having. His level-headed friend would help him sort everything out. Tomorrow.

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AN: I'm truly sorry for the wait between chapters. Life's been picking back up, what with summer ending and classes starting again. I'm trying to improve the writing here, but I don't think it's going too well. -- Oh my. Where have my reviewers gone? I know people are reading this. (On that note, _Leaf Symphony_'s almost got 2000 hits! Yay!) Please, please review if you're reading this. (See? I'm begging.) I'll give you Naoko plushies and treats. (Oh, Lord, now I'm bribing my readers!)

AN2: Okay, this story will be going on a SHORT hiatus. I need to do some studying up before I can continue with the storyline. On that note, what about pairings? I know I said this would probably be ItaNaru, but what other pairings would you guys like to see? Just put your favorite (xxx)Naru pairing in the review, and whichever has the most votes may well make it. Now you have to review!


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